WATCH: Iga Swiatek serves a fiery reply to Prakash Amritraj criticising the media for hampering tournament schedules

Iga Swiatek feels media is responsible for erratic tour schedules.

WATCH: Iga Swiatek serves a fiery reply to Prakash Amritraj criticising the media for hampering tournament schedules

Prakash Amritraj (left) and Iga Swietak (Right) (Credits: Tennis.com and The Times of India)

Iga Swiatek was recently asked about her stance on late-night matches. The most prime example is the Canadian Open, where Liudmilla Samsonova, who defeated Elena Rybakina in the semi-final, had to play the final on the same day. She lost to Jessica Pegula, who herself said that it was unfair of the organizers to make her opponent play without any recovery or rest.

Tennis presenter Prakash Amritraj asked the Polish star about the same on Tennis Channel. Swiatek bluntly replied, “It’s because of you guys.” She further explained that during the Italian Open, she and Aryna Sabalenka struggled due to irregular match timings.

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That’s not all, as per the proffesional tennis player herself, she had opted to play on the second day while Sabalenka had played on the first day. Sabalenka lost after the first round, stating how exhausted she was. World No.1 did not get the better end of the deal either, as she had to play night sessions continuously, which had an adverse effect on her sleeping schedule.

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She went on to say that she wouldn’t mind playing on Court 2 as long as she had time to recover. As tennis matches are scheduled on the basis of popularity and ranking, it becomes difficult for the player to manage their well-being.

All top-seeded players are given night sessions on Centre Court as it increases viewership and makes for Primetime TV. The organizers, therefore, overlook the player’s physical and mental health. Therefore, Swiatek and many other WTA players have banded against these erratic timings.

She said, “Sometimes it is healthy to play earlier. I wouldn’t mind playing on Court Number Two if I could just have a regular night and normal recovery after the match, because one match like that is fine, and I don’t mind it. But four matches? Your entire sleep routine is getting disrupted a little bit, and it’s difficult to return to a normal sleep schedule. It’s not easy. I wish it could be.” 

Also read: Iga Swiatek not a ‘fan’ of Netflix’s Break Point as she expresses her reservations on the documentary series

Iga Swietak Moves to Round 3 of the Cincinnati Open

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Iga swiatek ( Credits : Tennis.infinity.com)

The 22-year-old star has progressed to the third round of the Cincinnati Open. She defeated Danielle Collins with an astonishing score of 6-1, 6-0. She will now face Quinn Zheng of China.

Swiatek leads the head-to-head with a 3-0 score. She will be looking forward to continuing her winning streak against her in this match as well. Zheng, on the other hand, defeated tennis icon Venus Williams to move forward to the third round. The 20-year-old defeated the American star 1-6,6-2,6-1 in an hour and 56 minutes.

It is definitely going to be an interesting matchup. The winner will go on to play against either Marketa Vandrousova or Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals.

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